Holsters are well established and mature in the art of firearms and personal protection. Generally, holsters are attached to a person for the purpose of storing and accessing a firearm.
Firearms come in many varieties, with common types being rifles and pistols. For centuries, people have carried firearms for personal protection from animals and other people. Policeman, government officers, and military personal carry firearms as part of their job function and duties. Holsters are a common method for securing a firearm to a person, allowing close proximity storage and quick access it if needed.
Traditionally guns have been made from metallic materials, such as steel. Weight has been reduced and comfort increased through the use of wooden and plastic frames and grips. Today, it is not uncommon for firearms to be made of advanced materials, including plastic and non-metallic components. For example, a firearm frame may be made of non-metallic components, have a metallic barrel, and components assembled with high strength metallic pins.
Traditional waist style holsters are typically clipped to a belt and comprised of a downward facing pouch. The pouch is manufactured to the oversized and general shape of the barrel section of the gun to be stored. The handle, or grip, of the firearm is exposed. To store a firearm, a user raises their elbow to get the barrel to point downward at the pouch. The user then inserts the barrel into the pouch, pushing down and releasing their hands from the grip. In some versions, a strap is applied over the grip, or frame, to ensure the firearm is retained and does not fall out during activity. When access to the firearm is needed, the user releases the securing strap and places their hand on the grip of the firearm. By the user raising their elbow and arm, the barrel of the firearm is removed from the holster and the user can begin to aim by rotating their arm in the forward direction. There are several sequential body movements that must be coordinated to store and access the firearm. Although not critical during the storage process, the delay in performing these movements are a delay in aiming and can increase personal risk in time sensitive protection situations. In addition, safety straps can delay a user aiming their weapon. Another problem with the prior art is that the movement of inserting a barrel during storage can cause accidental firing as the trigger motion is aligned with the insertion motion of the firearm. Although fine for general storage, prior art “pouch style” holsters are less than optimal for time sensitive protection situations.
There are prior art devices optimized for particular applications. One such device is described by U.S. Pat. No. 2,910,804 to White. The White reference is directed at making it easier to remove a firearm from a person's body in non-personal protection situations. A firearm is inserted into a pouch, and the pouch is magnetically attached to a plate mounted to a user. In situations where someone desires to store their firearm without intending to use it, the pouch can be separated from the plate with the firearm remaining inserted in the pouch. The advantage of the White reference is that the firearm is still protected when placed on a surface in storage. In consideration of usefulness in a personal protection situation, the White reference provides no advantage as the firearm must be withdrawn just the same as a traditional holster. In fact, the White reference can actually create negative consequences in a personal protection situation as during withdrawal the pouch can accidentally be separated from the plate, rather than the firearm being withdrawn from the pouch. In this case, the user must use a hand to remove the pouch from the firearm prior to aiming.
Another prior art improvement is described by U.S. Pat. No. 6,732,891 to Locklear. This holster is directed at the security of a firearm stored in a holster and describes a releasable lock mechanism that retains the firearm within the holster. While potentially improving security, the Locklear reference adds complexity, cost and can delay response times of a user.
Yet another approach to improving the usefulness of prior art holsters is the concept of a magnetic holster, wherein a magnet is placed within a traditional pouch to help keep the firearm secured within the pouch. While potentially useful for reducing the need for a traditional safety strap for securing a firearm to a holster, magnets within a pouch do not provide advantages for providing visibility and quicker access to the firearm in personal protection situations.
Yet another prior art device is U.S. Pat. No. 8,403,278 to Kasbohm which describes a magnet that can be attached to a surface and to a firearm. Such magnetic devices are useful to storing a firearm under a nightstand or in a car, but they are not useful in storing a firearm to a user. Storing a firearm to a remote object, such as described by the Kasbohm reference, increase the user response time in time sensitive personal protection situations as the user must locate the firearm prior to gaining access. The Kasbohm reference is unpractical for use in attaching a firearm to a user, as movements of the user such as bending, running or twisting can cause the firearm to be dislodged from the magnet or to cause the firearm to rotate with respect the magnet causing firearm scratching and wear. A rotated firearm makes use slow and problematic in a personal protection situation. To potentially fix this limitation, the magnetic force required to keep a firearm stationary would be too large to be comfortable, light weight and the large retaining forces would delay response times in a personal protection situation.
In these respects, the present invention departs from conventional concepts of the prior art in the mature art of firearms by providing a direct magnetic holster that results in a user being able to more safely store a firearm in addition to reducing time required to withdraw and aim a firearm in a time sensitive personal protection situation. The present invention provides a low cost and simple way to safely store, transport and access a firearm.